


As If Front Row Wasn't Good Enough Already

by drummer_boy



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Bands, Concerts, M/M, Meet-Cute, Swearing, it's really cute i promise, malum, twenty one pilots - Freeform, waiting in line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 23:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6398845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drummer_boy/pseuds/drummer_boy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calum forgot to bring a blanket and has to wait for more than 15 hours in line to get front row for one of his favourite bands.</p><p>He doesn't think his day can get any better when a really good looking stranger offers him his fleece blanket.</p><p>
  <cite>Alternatively titled 'Lane Boy'</cite>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy With The Blanket

This was such a bad idea.

He should just go home and get back when the show actually started. Why the fuck did he ever think getting up at 2:30AM would be a good idea?

Calum rubs his hands together, hoping to preserve at least some warmth.

Then he hears a noise right in front of him, and looks up.

Alright.

A pale, tall boy with bright red hair was standing in front of him. A huge backpack was standing on the ground at his feet.

"Hey. Showed up early too, I see?" The stranger asks with a slightly raspy voice.

Calum nods. Of course he'd show up early for a concert of one of his favourite bands! It wasn't often that he'd get the chance to see Twenty One Pilots live. So, naturally, he'd want to get front row. Duh.

"Damn, I really wouldve thought that at 4:30 I'd be the first one in line." The red headed boy chuckles. Chuckles! And sits down near Calum.

He smiles. Calum's glad this stranger was up for a talk during this ungodly early hour.  
"The train went either at 3:15 or 7:15, and I just couldnt have that." He might as well reciprocate the effort.

Suddenly a cold wind strikes up, making Calum shiver. This was going to be a long day.

The boy with the red hair turns to his side and starts unfolding a bright pink fleece blanket. He'd kill for the little piece of fabric, right now.

Calum realises he's been staring, and quickly turns away when the boy with the blanket looks up at him.

"I forgot to bring a blanket. I'm an idiot." He finds himself saying.

"How'd you manage to forget a blanket when you've got to wait, what," the boy pulls a phone from his pocket and looks at it for a couple seconds, then stuffs it back, "over fifteen hours in line?"

Calum shrugs. He knows he's made a mistake, but he really did not want to go all the way back just to get a blanket. Only to find his well-deserved spot claimed by someone else when he'd return.

"You see, in my rush to catch a train at fucking three in the morning, i forgot to pack my blanket. Stupid, I know. I'll manage." He looks down at his hands, which had started turning a little red from the cold.

"Are you kidding me?! It's the middle of winter and its still dark!"  
Calum's not quite sure what the boy was getting at. Did he want him gone? Oh God, of course. The stranger wanted to be first in line, didn't he? He wanted to scare Calum away or convince him to leave so he could claim the spot right in front of the barrier, where Tyler would eventually stand on top of the crowd, and where Josh would drum his heart out on a small platform. He-

"We could always share my blanket. I heard that huddling together keeps you warm, as well." The stranger raises an eyebrow at him.

Wait, what?

Calum processed what the boy'd just said. He wanted to share his blanket with him? He could feel his cheeks heating up. Damn, he was really not making a good first impression.

"I mean, if you don't mind, I-" Calum was cut off by the stranger plopping down right next to him, their sides now touching. The boy threw his little pink blanket around both their shoulders.

This was really intimate.

He didn't even know this guy's name.

"I'm Calum, by the way." He decides to get it out of the way whilst it's not considered awkward, yet.

"Nice to meet you, Calum. I'm Michael." The boy replies.

Michael, whoa.

"Michael. Nice to put a name to your face." Calum keeps surprising himself with how quickly he replies to this, mind you, very attractive boy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael reaches over to grab the backpack he'd brought along, and struggles to get it to open.  
After a little while, and Calum was definitely not staring at him as Michael stuck his tongue out of his mouth as he wrestled with the zipper of the bag, he pulled a small speaker from the thing.

He took his phone from his pocket and after some tapping on the screen, handed it to Calum.

"Here, you pick something to listen to."

Calum was met with the familiar sight of the Spotify app, and happily took the phone in his freezing hands.

As he looked through all the albums that Michael had downloaded Calum felt a bit overwhelmed. Michael had a really good taste in music.

He selected Dirty Work by All Time Low, and handed Michael his phone back, who wore a huge grin as the first notes of Do You Want Me (Dead?) sounded through the speaker.

"Honestly, this album is so underrated." Michael said.

"Exactly! I don't get why people just gloss over it like it was nothing."

"Like, do they even bother to actually listen to the songs?"

"Just The Way I'm Not is SUCH a jam." Oh no. Calum thinks he might have found his soulmate.

"Are you kidding me!? That's my favourite song!" He perks up.

"No way!" Calum gets lost looking at how Michael's eyes seem to light up.

"Did you go to their show last year?" The red head asks.

Fuck, here comes the point where he's going to think he's a fake fan.

Calum sighs, "Nope." Michael raises his eyebrows, which, wow. How did Calum not see that Michael had an eyebrow piercing?  
It looks hot.

He figures he might as well explain why he didn't go. "The tickets got sold out so quickly! And they played at such a small venue, too. I'm still mad about it."

"Truly the worst thing a band could do to their fans." Michael responded. Thank God, he agreed with him.

"Did you go?"

Michael blushes and smirks.  
"Yes."

Calum is so jealous. "Holy shit! How was it?!"

"Oh man, they're so good live! I managed to get pretty close to the barrier near the end. I'm pretty sure I made eye contact with Jack a couple times."

Calum was hanging on his every word. He liked how Michael spoke with such enthusiasm, even at 4-something in the morning.

"I threw a stuffed teddy bear on stage, and Alex picked it up and threw it at Jack, it was honestly the best thing to ever happen to me." A huge smile was plastered on Michael's face.

They continue to talk about All Time Low for a solid half hour. They drift off to other bands, and which they've seen live and which they want to see in the future.

"Fall Out Boy?" Michael asks.

"Yup. Twice, even."

"They didn't even have two shows in Sydney, though?"

"I got myself a ticket when I went to England for a week." Calum smiled at the memory. He'd been so nervous about the timing and his first time flying on a plane. It had been worth it, though, because that was the first time he'd seen Fall Out Boy live. Later that year, when they announced they'd come to Sydney, Calum immediately bought himself a ticket.

"That's awesome! Pierce The Veil?”

”Hell yeah! Managed to get tickets for their show next week!”

”Fuck, man. How are you so lucky?” Michael laughs.

Calum shrugs. He’s not going to tell him he’s got an extra ticket.

"Paramore?" Calum asks, remembering seeing Brand New Eyes in the list of albums on Michael's phone.

"Haven't seen them yet. I really want to, though." Calum nods.

"Same. It's fucked up how artists have like 20 shows in the UK alone, but then rarely ever come to Australia."

Michael nods excessively. "Exactly! Hey, maybe we should get famous ourselves and just go to them!"

Was he joking? Calum hopes he isn't, he has always wanted to be in a band.

"Do you play an instrument?" He asks him.

"Guitar, I tried piano, but I don't think it's exactly my thing. You?"

"I started playing bass because of Twenty One Pilots." Calum's cheeks heat up.

"Really?! How long have you been playing?"

That's a good question, Calum thinks. "Uh, around 3, maybe 4 years?"

"You've been around for that long?! Respect, man." Calum's cheeks get even hotter.

"Not gonna lie, I became a fan because of Tear In My Heart." Michael was so honest. "But hey! All we need is a drummer, and we're good to go!"

"Who knows, it might be the next dude to get in line." Calum laughs.

As if on cue, a small group of five people appear from around the corner of the venue, all clad in red beanies and their hands covered in black paint.

"Thank God," Michael sighs. "I was beginning to think we got the date wrong, or something."

Calum takes his phone from his pocket. At least five reminders all saying 'TWENTY ONE PILOTS IN 'X' HOURS' cover his lockscreen. "Nope, it's definitely today." He laughs.

The five other early birds join Michael and Calum in front of the entrance, sitting down in a little circle. The one closest to the two boys holding a ukulele. No drummer, but still pretty cool, Calum thinks.

Michael moves to turn down the volume of the little speaker a bit. Calum instantly notices the lack of warmth on his left side.

Calum hums along to My Only One, and he feels his heartbeat picking up when Michael rests his head on his shoulder. His bright red hair tickles his nose, but he tries to keep composure.

During the last chorus, Michael takes Calum's hands in his own.

"Your hands are cold, let me hold them for you."

~~~~~~~~~~

When the last chords of Time Bomb, the acoustic version, ring through the small speaker, Calum notices that Michael had fallen asleep.

Oh my God he is so cute. Soft snores are escaping Michael's slightly open-hanging mouth, Calum pretended to not be completely infatuated at the sight. Michael's long eyelashes brushing against his cheeks, his beautiful pink lips, and his slight stubble which Calum definitely did not think was very attractive.

He doesn't blame Michael for falling asleep. The time was nearing 6AM, and he knew that Michael had driven nearly an hour all the way here in the dark of the night. He must be exhausted.

He leaves Michael be for what must be at least twenty minutes, and then hears his own stomach growling loudly.

Calum tries to move as little as possible as he reaches over for his bag, which had all of his snacks in it.

He internally curses himself when he feels Michael remove his head from his shoulder. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's cool." Michael rubs his eyes. "What time is it?"

Calum immediately drops the tast of getting food, and unlocks his phone. "A quarter past six."

"Oh."

"I was just going to get something to eat." Calum grabs his bag and pulls a small plastic bag with some sandwiches in it out. He feels obliged to offer Michael one.  
"You want?"

Michael's nose scrunches up in disgust. "Is that tuna? Gross." But Calum can hear a hint of playfullness in his voice.

"Well, what would you like, then, sleeping beauty?" Before he realized it he'd said it.  
Michael's cheeks turn a shade of pink, however, and he shrugs.

"I wouldn't want to rob you of your food." Honestly. Could Michael be any more perfect?

"It's fine, really. I've brought way too much, anyway." Calum reaches over and pulls out a container of donuts, two bags of winegums, another plastic bag with four sandwiches, a box of crackers, chocolate chip cookies, and a bag of chips.

"Whoa" Michael says, his voice slightly raspy.

The two boys eat a healthily balanced breakfast together. Their conversation flows from bands and music to plans for the future, to personal lives and problems smoothly.  
Calum learns that Twenty One Pilots is one of Michael's favourite bands, and that he's dyed his hair red especially for their concert tonight. As more people arrive and line up, the sun rises and shines bright over the queue of 50 people by 7:20 AM.

The girl who'd brought a ukulele whips it out and plays a couple of songs, the people around-including Michael and Calum- sing along gleefully.

Michael reveals his bag to be full of speakers, portable phone chargers, cameras, and four pairs of earphones (which he gladly shares with Calum to listen to music together).

The day goes swimmingly. Calum had never expected to spend the whole day with somebody else. In all honesty, he's really glad he forgot to bring his blanket.  
It's around 2 PM when the venue's staff fence off the queue, trapping all the people in a tight space together. There's plenty of people trying to cut in line, but Calum points them to the end of the queue, and protects Michael from being trampled over by the ever-growing mass of Twenty One Pilots fans.

Calum naps on Michael's shoulder when he feels himself start to doze off, and when he wakes up he shares his food supply with Michael again for lunch. They play games on their phones and Calum can't help but smile all the time. Everything feels so right. He's completely forgotten about the cold weather, and though he's aware that it's just temporary, that Michael is just another 'we-once-met-at-a-concert'-friend, he's happy to be here with him right now.

Michael keeps Calum's place in the line free for him when he sneaks out of the queue to go to the nearest restaurant to make use of their restroom, and he shares his wireless phone charger with him so his phone will be fully charged to take pictures at the show. Calum really doesn't have anything else to offer but glaced donuts and chips, and maybe a fun day whilst waiting in the cold for one of their favourite bands.

It's nearing 4 PM when Michael pauses LA Devotee and pokes Calum's side. He, in return, chuckles and swats Michael's hands away.

"Dude the doors are gonna open in two hours or so, maybe we should start thinking about dinner?"

"What, you're asking me out on a date?" Calum smiles. I'd actually like that, he thinks.

Michael blushes, and smacks his shoulder. "Seriously. You wanna order pizza?"

"Sure! I could go for something without sugar for a change."

"Well you decided to bring all those cookies."

"True." Calum pulls up the Domino's website on his phone.

"So, whatcha want?" Michael asks, the same website already loaded on his own phone.

"Oh, I didn't bring any cash, I couldn't pay you back."

"It's fine. Pizza's on me." Michael smiles brightly at him. "It's the least I can do after devouring more than half of your stockpile of food."

Calum smiled and could swear he felt actual butterflies in his stomach. This really handsome (but also very cute) boy was going to buy him dinner!  
Now that he thought about it, this whole day was a bit like a date. A really long, unexpected, but natural-feeling first date.

"I'm feeling anchovies today."

Michael threw his head back in laughter. Calum was mesmerized.  
"That's SO gross! Seafood is the worst on pizza!"

"Well, what were you going to get?" Calum didn't really mind Michael bashing his favourite pizza topping.

"Pepperoni."

He barked out a laugh himself. "Talk about boring."

"Hey, it's a classic topping!"

"Basic bitch." Calum chuckled, and felt Michael slapping his arm.

"I can always back out and not pay for your dinner." Calum could hear the fond dripping from his voice.

"You wouldn't." He was still laughing, but was relieved nontheless when he saw Michael place an order for two pizzas.

Skip to twenty minutes later, and the two boys were enjoying their warm pizzas huddled up next to each other in the cold winter weather.

~~~~~~~~~~

Calum looks at his phone for the hundredth time. It was 5:53 PM, the doors were about to open.  
Him and Michael were currently being squished against the glass doors, everybody in line standing up and trying to reclaim as much space as possible.

Calum had wanted to talk to Michael some more, but the tension in the air, the nervous, loud chattering of all the other people, and the thought of I'm going to see my heroes do their thing in real life! were keeping him from continuing their heated discussion about sleeping in hammocks. Michael seemed to absolutely hate them, claiming they made him seasick, whilst Calum himself quite liked falling asleep in one. Especially on a warm summer day.

He looks around anxiously. The printed ticket in his hand wrinkled from holding tightly onto it. What if there's something wrong with my ticket? What if I've wasted all my time here and I won't be allowed in?

He sighs and looks around. There must be thousands of people waiting in line, now. Everybody was either pushing or being pushed. Michael's bright pink blanket was nowhere to be seen. Probably long forgotten and currently being trampled over by tons of people, just like the pizza boxes the both of them got rid of an hour ago.

Calum is shaken from his thoughts by Michael, who taps his shoulder.

He brings his mouth close to Calum's ear, and he can feel his hot breath (despite the cold weather).

"We stick together, yeah?" He says.  
"Take my hand, I know the way around here."

Michael holds out his hand for Calum, which he happily takes.

"You've been here before?" Calum raises his voice to be heard above the consistently louder-getting crowd behind them.

Michael nods, and then yells "Good Charlotte." back.

Calum opens his mouth to reply when two employees of the venue appear on the other side of the glass doors. They motion for everybody to step back, and then the doors are being opened.

Michael is the first to get his ticket scanned, but doesn't let go of Calum's hand.

Calum presents his crumpled ticket to the lady who scans it, and wishes him a fun show.

The two boys run through the hallway. Past the lockers, past the merch stands, past the toilets, towards the concert hall. Everything's a blur and Calum holds tightly onto Michae's hand as he's being pulled forward through the inside of the venue. They don't stop running as they get into the hall, not until they get to the barricade and nearly smash into it at they claim their place in the middle, right in front of Tyler's mic stand.

Calum drops his backpack and watches Michael take off his jacket. He’s wearing a black shirt with a red flannel over it. He looked really good.  
Calum laughs. They did it. They're in the front row for their Twenty One Pilots concert!

His heart melts when he sees Michael smiling back at him. He could kiss him right now if he didn't see the people running towards the barricade from the corner of his eyes. Of course, he thought. They too want to take their spot at the front row. Calum spreads his legs in order to try and preserve what little space he had, and then he feels people bumping into him left and right. He holds onto the barricade to stabilize himself. After about ten minutes, the first few rows have filled up and they're safe.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe we actually got front row!" Michael yells over the music that had started playing. "I mean, we got here really fucking early, but still!"

"Hell yeah!" Calum yells back. The last chorus of Walk by the Foo Fighters was playing. The venue had filled up significantly since twenty minutes ago. Calum had looked at the capacity whilst waiting in line, and found out that it held 6.000 people. The show was sold out, so that'd promise for a lot of sweaty people in one room. They were all waiting for the opening act, some local band Calum had never heard of before.

Unexpected as it could be, the G note of a piano rung out from the giant speakers on the sides of the stage. Calum, along with thousands of other people, knew exactly what that meant.

"The Black Parade!" Michael yells excitedly as he tugs on Calum's arm.

The whole crowd was singing along but it was Michael who caught Calum's attention, once again.

He had his eyes closed, and sang along with such passion. He looked so beautiful, so in his element. Calum was mesmerized by the sight. How did I get so lucky to meet you? he thought.

~~~~~~~~~~

They’re halfway through the set and Calum still can’t believe he’s seeing the Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun mere meters in front of him.  
Sure, Tyler’s stood on his hands, and he’s held up Josh’s platform whilst he was drumming on it, it still felt surreal to him.

Calum’s been awake for over 19 hours now, and he would be tired if he didn’t feel so alive. He’s never experienced a show like this before. He was so incredibly sweaty, his voice was feeling hoarse, and his legs were slowly turning into jelly, but he loved every second of it. The energy both the band and the crowd gave off, Tyler’s raw voice, and the passion Josh put into drumming his heart out in front of the crowd, Calum wished this would never end.

But most importantly, he loved being here with Michael. In the few hours (you could call it a day, rather) that he got to know him, he was glad that he was sharing this with him. Watching Michael dance and jump and catching a glimpse of a tear streaming down his face during Guns For Hands made getting up at 2 in the morning a hundred times more worth it.

Tyler strummed the last chords of We Don’t Believe and the last three ‘yeah yeah yeah’s’ rang from the speakers. Calum watches Tyler grab the microphone and the crowd goes as silent as crowds at a Twenty One Pilots concert go.

”This next song’s called Can’t Help Falling In Love, sing along if you know the words.”

Calum cheers and screams along with everybody else. As Tyler begins to strum his ukulele again everybody quiets down and Calum could feel the change in atmosphere.  
That, and, he could feel Michael’s gaze on him.

Calum turns to face him, and as Tyler’s voice sounds through the speakers, Michael sings along.

No, he's singing towards Calum!

He feels his heart melt once again and his stomach was filled with butterflies. Holy shit. Michael feels the same way!? I thought it was a little ridiculous since we’ve only known each other for a day, but. Wow. Yeah, I’m never letting go of him.

Calum stares in awe at the boy next to him who had been a stranger to him this very morning. He couldn’t help the huge smile that crept onto his face, and he started to mouth the lyrics back to him, not wanting to ruin the moment with his hoarse voice.

During the last chorus, Michael puts his arms around Calum’s neck, pulling him closer. Whether it was the sound of the crowd singing giving him chills or Michael’s chest vibrating under his hands, he didn’t care. Right now it was the two of them, there, together.

As the song ended, Michael pulled Calum into a kiss. It took a second before Calum registered what was happening, but then immediately kissed back. He slid his tongue over Michael’s bottom lip and fuck, he tasted so good.  
He was in heaven.  
Calum was high on adrenaline and sleeplessness, his ears were buzzing slightly, and all his senses were oversimulated. The crowd was cheering in the background- he knew they weren’t cheering for them, but it felt like they were. He felt so good and everything felt right and he didn’t ever want to let go.

”Shout out to this beautiful couple in the front.” Calum pulled away as he heard Tyler’s voice. The crowd started cheering and he could feel his cheeks getting red. THE Tyler Joseph just saw me make out with somebody I just met. Holy shit. Michael winked at him, and pecked his left cheek.

The first chords of Lane Boy rang through the speakers, but all Calum could think about was Michael Michael Michael. He was just some person he met in line today. He was practically a stranger. He barely knew him and Michael barely knew him. Right?

~~~~~~~~~~

With confetti in their hair, sweat-soaked shirts, and heavy backpacks the two boys slowly make their way out of the concert hall.  
Being in front sadly also means you have to wait really long until you get to use the toilet again. Calum kind of regrets that when he almost had an accident during Trees.

After a well-deserved and well-needed toilet break Calum grabs Michael’s hand and pulls him towards the merch stands.

”Which one do you like best?” Calum points at the shirts pinned onto the wall.  
“Pick any. I’ll pay.”

Michael seems shocked. “Whoa, Cal, these shirts are like 40 dollars! I couldn’t-“  
Calum cuts him off, smiling internally at the nickname. “I insist. This has been the best day of my life! Let me pay you back.”

Michael sighs and shakes his head, but he can’t hide the smile that started to appear on his face. Calum knew he’d won him over.

~~~~~~~~~~

Calum steps outside and takes a deep breath. The air is cold, but it’s a nice change to the temperatures inside. He’s still holding Michael’s hand, who was now wearing a ‘Twenty One Pilots Tour 2016’ shirt.

He didn’t want to say goodbye to Michael. Not yet. Today had been such an experience and he didn’t want to lose him.

It was now or never.

Calum sighs. “You know, I really don’t look forward to an hour long ride back home in a smelly train.”

Michael seems to pick it up. “What a coincidence! I don’t want to drive all the way back home all by myself at this late hour.”  
“Maybe I could be your ride home?” He raises his eyebrows.

”Only if you stay the night.”

”Smooth.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Calum wakes up to an empty spot besides him in bed. Fuck, he thinks. Michael’s gone.  
However, he brightens up when he spots a bright pink fleece blanket, folded neatly, at the foot end of his bed.

He gets up quickly and goes to pick up the soft material, when a small piece of paper on top of it catches his eye.

Yesterday has got to be the best day of my life too. Call me?

A phone number is scribbled down beneath it, and Calum doesn’t waste a second as he punches it into his phone.

A couple of seconds pass before somebody picks up.

”Hey.” He says. “Is this Michael?”

”Calum?” He hears a familiar voice on the other side of the line.

”Yeah, it’s me. I happen to have an extra ticket to Pierce The Veil’s show next week. Care to join me in line again?”

~~~~~~~~~~


	2. The Boy With The Cold Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your amazing comments, it's really about time that I finally wrote the next chapter!
> 
> This time from Michael's POV! I really hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first one!

Michael walks towards the venue. Big backpack on his back, fleece blanket under his arm, and phone in his hand.  
If it wasnt for Google Maps, he definitely would've been lost by now.

Michael is relieved and also surprised to see (just one person, thank God he's going to get front row!) sitting next to the entrance of the building.

He quickly glances at his phone to check the time, then closes all apps and stuffs his phone in his pocket.  
It was only 4:30. Boy is he glad he brought a lot of coffee.

Michael walks up to the entrance. He sees the staff haven't put down fences for the queue yet. Hell, the staff probably wasn’t even awake yet.

He stops next to the stranger who was sitting down already, knees to his chest and rubbing his hands together.

The stranger was a boy. Probably around the same age. He had a beautiful brown skin and short, curly black hair. Michael finds the guy to be quite attractive, actually. Maybe waiting so long on a cold winter's day wouldn't be so bad.

He drops his backpack on the ground, successfully getting the stranger to look up at the noise.

"Hey. Showed up early too, I see?" Michael smiles at the boy, who in return nods.

"Damn, I really would’ve thought that at 4:30 I'd be the first one in line." Michael chuckles and sits down, hoping to make light conversation.

"The train went either at 3:15 or 7:15, and I just couldn’t have that." Whoa. This guy definitely had an attractive voice, too.

The cold wind picks up, and Michael shivers. He grabs his blanket, unfolding it and throws it around him. He feels the other boy's eyes on him, but quickly looks the other way when Michael looks up at him.

Before he could say anything, the boy was speaking.  
"I forgot to bring a blanket. I'm an idiot."

You could say that. Michael thinks.

"How'd you manage to forget a blanket when you've got to wait, what," Michael quickly looks at the time on his phone again, "over fifteen hours in line?"

"You see, in my rush to catch a train at fucking three in the morning, i forgot to pack my blanket. Stupid, I know. I'll manage." The boy looks down at his hands.

Michael isn't sure what he means with 'I'll manage', it was barely 6 degrees outside!

"Are you kidding me?! It's the middle of winter and it’s still dark!" Michael's actually kind of worried about this stranger freezing to death.

Then, he gets an idea.

"We could always share my blanket. I heard that huddling together keeps you warm, as well." He raises his eyebrows at the boy who was-

Was he blushing? Did Michael really just make him blush? Holy shit.  
Michael applauds himself for being so smooth.

"I mean, if you don't mind, I-"

Michael wastes no time and immediately plops down right next to the boy, and throws his small fleece blanket around them both.

"I'm Calum, by the way." The boys says.

Calum, wow. Everything about this guy seems to be attractive.

"Nice to meet you, Calum. I'm Michael." He replies.

"Michael. Nice to put a name to your face." Gosh. Michael would _kill_ to hear Calum say his name like that again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael immediately grabs his backpack and struggles a little too much for his liking with the zipper, but gets it open soon enough.

He rummages through it until he finds what he’s been looking for; a speaker. _Might as well listen to some music whilst waiting for a concert at the crack of dawn._

He opens up the Spotify app on his phone and hands it to Calum.

“Here, you pick something to listen to.” _Because I definitely do not want to embarrass myself by picking awful music to listen to and I really want to make a good impression._

Michael bites his lip and watches –only ever so slightly nervous- as Calum scrolls through his music, the light from his phone reflecting in his warm brown eyes.

The first notes of _Do You Want Me (Dead?)_ blast through the small speaker and Michael grins. He’d recognize this song anywhere.

“Honestly, this album is _so_ underrated.” He says, still smiling. He’s glad Calum found something enjoyable to listen to in his shitty collection of music he’s downloaded over the years.

Calum pipes up. “Exactly! I don’t get why people just gloss over it like it was nothing.”

“Like, do they even _bother_ to listen to the songs?” Michael couldn’t agree more. _Just The Way I’m Not_ was _so_ incredibly well-written!

He speaks his thoughts. “ _Just The Way I’n Not_ is SUCH a jam.”

“Are you kidding me!? That’s my favourite song!” Calum nearly yells.

“No way!”Michael barks back. He doesn’t even care that he shouldn’t have the energy for this right now, but something about the boy next to him makes him really happy.

“Did you go to their show last year?” Michael asks him.

Calum sighs. “Nope.” _Oh fuck, I’m going to sound really cocky now._

“The tickets sold out so quickly! And they played at such a small venue, too. I’m still mad about it.” Michael completely understands.

“Truly the worst thing a band could do to their fans. “ He replies.

“Did you go?” Calum asks.

Michael feels his cheeks getting red. “Yes.” He says, feeling guilty saying it.

“Holy shit! How was it?!” _Wait,_ Calum wasn’t mad at him?

“Oh man, they’re _so_ good live! I managed to get pretty close to the barrier near the end. I’m pretty sure I made eye contact with Jack a couple times.” Michael leaves out the part about catching Alex’s guitar pick. There’s no way he’s going to sound like even more of an asshole and ruin Calum’s day.

He _does_ , however, tell about the teddy bear he threw on stage.

“I threw a stuffed teddy bear on stage, and Alex picked it up and threw it at Jack, it was honestly the best thing to ever happen to me.” He couldn’t stop smiling at the memory.

Their conversation flows from All Time Low to other band and concert related thingst smoothly. Michael hangs on Calum’s every word, his slightly raspy early-morning voice is just too beautiful not to. He really shouldn’t but he knows he’s developed a small, teeny-tiny crush on him ( _and he’s only known him for what, half an hour? Talk about love at first sight)._

“Fall Out Boy?” Michael asks. Maybe he’s met Calum before and he didn’t even know it.

“Yup. Twice, even.” _Whoa, whoa, whoa hold up!_

“They didn’t even _have_ two shows in Sydney, though?” Michael asks confused.

“I got myself a ticket when I went to England for a week.” He smiles.

“That’s _awesome_! Pierce The Veil?”

“ _Hell_ yeah! Managed to get tickets for their show next week!”

“Fuck, man. How are you so lucky?”

Calum shrugs, and then asks him if he’s seen Paramore live.

“Haven’t seen them yet. I really want to, though.”

“Same. It’s fucked up how artists have like 20 shows in the UK alone, but then rarely ever come to Australia.” _HE AGREES!_

“Exactly! Hey, maybe we should get famous ourselves and just go to _them_!” Michael only half-jokes. He secretly hopes that Calum would take it seriously.

“Do you play an instrument?” He ask him. _Thank God_.

Michael nods. “Guitar, I tried piano, but I don’t think it’s exactly my thing. You?” _Please play drums or bass please play drums or bass please!_

“I started playing bass because of Twenty One Pilots.” Calum says sheepishly. _HALLELUJA!_

“Really?! How long have you been playing?” Michael can’t believe his ears. This might actually become a thing!

“Uh, around 3, maybe 4 years?”

“You’ve been around for that long?! Respect, man.” Michael can’t help but feel inferior, he hasn’t been around for long, at all.

He might as well be honest.

“Not gonna lie, I became a fan because of _Tear In My Heart_.” Calum smiles at him. _God_ , he looked so _beautiful_!

“But hey! All we need is a drummer, and we’re good to go!”

Calum laughs, “Who knows, it might be the next dude to get in line.”

Michael might as well start believing in God, because –as if on cue- a group of five people walk around the corner of the venue and sit down (at a respectable distance) next to them.

“Thank God, I was beginning to think we got the date wrong, or something.”

Calum unlocks his phone, showing Michael at least five reminders all saying ‘TWENTY ONE PILOTS IN ‘X’ HOURS’ in his notifications.

“Nope, it’s definitely today.” He laughs.

Michael contemplates asking the five other fans if one of them plays drums, but opts out of it. He’s enjoying his alone-time with Calum too much.

Which reminds him to turn down the volume of his speaker a little bit, so they won’t annoy the others too much.

The conversation seems to have died down, but the two of them sit in comfortable silence. Michael becomes aware of how tired he really was, and rests his head on Calum’s shoulder.

He takes Calum’s freezing hands in his own.

“Your hands are cold, let me hold them for you.”

Cuddled up to Calum, and listening to his steady breathing, Michael feels himself doze off.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael is pulled from his slumber as he's moved around a bit. He opens his eyes and sits up straight, remembering Calum and also  _holy shit I just fell asleep on him!_

The boy looks at him, "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up." and Michael has to rub his eyes to make sure he's still there. That it  _really_ wasn't a dream.

"It's cool." He says. "What time is it?"

Calum grabs his phone and unlocks it. "A quarter past six."

"Oh." He actually wasn't asleep for that long. Have any other people joined them in line?

"I was just going to get something to eat." Calum pulls a couple sandwiches in plastig bags from his backpack, the smell of fish immediately reaching Michael's nose.

Calum offers him one. "You want?"

Michael shakes his head in disgust. "Is that tuna? Gross." He hopes Calum knows he doesn't mean anything by it.

"Well, what would you like, then, sleeping beauty?"  _Whoa. Did he really just call me 'Beauty'? Holy shit_. Michael knows he's blushing but he couldn't care less right now. He remembers to reply just in time for it not to be awkward.

  
"I wouldn't want to rob you of your food." He says. Michael doesn't even know how much the other boy brought in the first place, it wouldn't be fair if he up and-

Michael looks as Calum empties his bag's contents on the ground, he spots bags of winegums, donuts, sandwiches, cookies, chips...

"It's fine, really. I've brought way too much, anyway."  _Yeah no kidding._

They eat 'breakfast' together and talk some more. Michael tells Calum that he's dyed his hair red especally for tonight's show, and he learns that Twenty One Pilots, along with a couple other bands, helped Calum get through a really dark place, and as more people slowly fill up the line in front of the venue, the sun starts to rise, the light reflecting beautifully in Calum's dark eyes.

The girl who'd brought a ukulele whips it out and plays a couple of songs, the people around-including Michael and Calum- sing along gleefully. Michael is entranced by Calum's singing voice, but he tries his best to focus on not singing horribly off-key. It's nice, it's like everybody in line has been friends with each other for decades.

Michael shares his earphones and power bank with Calum in return for the food, and he doesn't seem to run out of things to say or share with his new friend. Could he call him his friend? He certainly hopes so. Michael wants nothing more than to ask for his phone number, but he's afraid he'll scare Calum off and then they'll be stuck in front of the queue and that's the  _last_ thing Michael wants.

The day goes smoothly. The staff fences everybody in at around 2PM (which is really late, Michael thinks, but at least they've secured their spot now), and the two boys are sitting on top of the pink blanket together, chatting the day away.

After Calum naps on Michael's shoulder ( _He's so fucking cute holy shit look at his mouth hanging open slightly oh my God he's snoring. He's snoring this is too cute I wanna take a picture but then I'll wake him up oh my God how did I get so lucky to be here with him)_ they share Calum's food supply again and Michael smiles because everything feels so  _right_. He doesn't want to think about never seeing Calum again after this, so he focuses on the  _here_ and  _now_ and he's pretty sure he's developed feelings for the (he now knows) Maori boy.  _Shit._

Michael notices it's already nearing 4PM and he keeps poking Calum's side until he gets his full attention. The boy chuckles ( _Fuck that's hot_ ) and swats his hand away.

"Dude the doors are gonna open in two hours or so, maybe we should start thinking about dinner?" He says. He's actually pretty hungry already.

"What, you're asking me out on a date?" Calum replies and  _fuck me if you want this to be a date then it is_.

Not knowing how to answer that question, he smacks Calum's shoulder. He knows he's blushing. "Seriously. You wanna order pizza?"

"Sure! I could go for something without sugar for a change."

"Well you decided to bring all those cookies."

"True." Calum pulls out his phone but  _oh no_. Michael's not going to have that. He pulls up the Domino's website and selects his own pizza.

"So, whatcha want?" He asks before Calum decides he should pay for it himself.

"Oh, I didn't bring any cash, I couldn't pay you back."

"It's fine. Pizza's on me."  _Please take the hint please take the hint._  "It's the least I can do after devouring more than half of your stockpile of food." he adds with a smile.

Calum smiles brightly and drops his phone to his side.  _Succes!_  "I'm feeling anchovies today."

Michael can't help but laugh. "That's SO gross! Seafood is the worst on pizza!"

"Well, what were you going to get?" Calum asks, frowning.

"Pepperoni." Calum laughs at his answer.

"Talk about boring!"

"Hey, it's a classic topping!"

"Basic bitch." Calum chuckles, and Michael slaps his arm again.

"I can always back out and not pay for your dinner." He teases.

"You wouldn't." Calum says and Michael clicks the 'Confirm Order' button.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was nearly 6PM, the doors were about to open. Though Michael's done this quite a few times already, he still feels slightly nervous. The energy from the crowd behind him and the sky already starting to dim again, it just had something magical to it. 

He was being pushed around and nearly squished against the glass, but Calum stood behind him protectively,  _as if he couldn't get any more prince-like_. Calum and him had to abandon their discussion about hammocks, though. They'd have to yell to hear each other in the sound of hundreds of fans chatting anxiously with each other. 

Michael sees Calum hold onto his ticket like a life line. He'd told him this was the first time he was going to get front row, and that it made him pretty nervous. He taps his shoulder.

Calum looks up and Michael leans close to his ears, making sure Calum could hear him clearly.

"We stick together, yeah?" They  _really_ should have discussed this earlier. "Take my hand, I know the way around here." He holds out his hand, afraid to make a movev himself.

He's glad Calum takes it, and he squeezes softly, hoping that it would calm his nerves a bit.

"You've been here before?" Calum nearly yells, Michael could barely understand him.

He nods, and yells "Good Charlotte." back.

Just then two employees appear behind the glass doors, and motion for everybody to move back. With little difficulty, the crowd moves and the doors are open.

Michael, being in front of Calum, gets his ticket scanned first, but he doesn't let go of Calum's hand. As soon as the other boy gets in, he pulls him along and starts running through the venue. He knows this place like the back of his hand.

He skips the lockers, ignores the merch stand and toilets, and races straights towards the concert hall. He's glad Calum runs along. They don't stop until they nearly smash into the barricade and claim their spot right in front of Tyler's mic stand. 

Calum drops his backpack and Michael follows suit. He takes off his jacket and notices Calum laughing at him. He smiles back. They did it. They've got front row for their Twenty One Pilots show!

The moment of victory is short-lived, as Michael spots the other fans running straight towards them. He holds onto the barricade and stands as wide as possible, claiming all the space he can get. It doesn't take long until the first couple rows have filled and they're safe.

~~~~~~~~~~

Loud music starts blasting through the speakers. Everything from the Foo Fighers to *NSYNC, and Michael shamelessly sings along, knowing all the words. It's whatever, right? Everybody's doing it. He even caught Calum doing some dance moves to  _It's Gonna Be Me_ and he wishes he would've filmed it.

After  _Walk_ ends, the speakers go silent for a couple seconds, before the G note on a piano rings through the venue.  _Holy shit_. People yell and scream because they  _all_ know what that means. As does Michael.

"The Black Parade!" Michael yells at Calum, even though he's sure he knows as well.

Michael closes his eyes and sings his heart out. This song meant so much to him, he didn't care if Calum thought he looked weird. This was his moment.

~~~~~~~~~~

They're not even halfway through the set and Michael is _thrivng_. He's  _alive_. He's never been more exhaused in his life but the music and the energy the band gives off push him that much closer to the edge. He's help up  _the_ Tyler Joseph and stood under  _the_ Josh Dun's drumming platform. He's buzzing with energy and he feels bigger than his body and  _the best thing is_ , Calum's here with him. He's sharing this memory with him and he couldn't be happier.

He'd cried turing  _Guns For Hands_ , and yelled his lungs out during  _Migraine_. Michael's pretty sure he'll lose his voice by the end of the night, but right now he couldn't care less. He's pulled out of his trance when  _We Don't Believe_ ends and the last three 'Yeah's' echo through the speakers and Tyler speaks into the microphone.

”This next song’s called Can’t Help Falling In Love, sing along if you know the words.”

 _Shit, alright. It's now or never_. Michael thinks. As Tyler begins to strum his ukulele, he turns towards Calum. He sings along perfectly to Tyler's words, and then Calum turns his head and  _finally_ notices him.

Michael continues to sing, knowing he can't help the huge smile on his face and he sees Calum's face light up  _even more_. He sees Calum trying to sing along, but he keeps shaking his head and his face is covered in dimples as he laughs.  _Fuck_ , why does he have to act all cute  _now_?!

Michael slowly moves forward, and wraps his arms around Calum's neck during the last chorus. He pulls him closer, the high of the show never leaving him.

With the last strum of Tyler's ukulele, Michael leans forward and kisses him. Calum takes a moment to react, but then he's sliding his tongue over Michael's bottom lip and  _oh my God_ _this is amazing._  

It's slow and passionate, contrasting the vibe of the show perfectly, and Michael is gone. It was perfect. He couldn't have asked for more.

”Shout out to this beautiful couple in the front.” They both pull away as Tyler's voice rings through the speakers, and Michael can't help but laugh. One, he  _actually_ just made kissed someone and a concert,  _front row._ Two, that someone happened to be Calum, who he's only known for, what, 15 hours? And three,  _Tyler Joseph just saw them make out and announced it on stage what the fuck!?_

Michael winks at Calum, whose face is completely red from either the lack of oxygen or embarrassment, he doesn't know. Michael plants a kiss on the boy's cheek just before the next song starts, and he's  _so so SO glad_ he did it. If he's honest with himself, he feels kind of proud.

~~~~~~~~~~

 Michael plucks confetti out of his hair whilst he waits for Calum to get out of the bathroom. He's waiting around the corner with all of their stuff, not ready to leave yet. As soon as Calum emerges he grabs Michael by his hand and Michael just about manages to get all the stuff with him before he's being dragged towards the merch stand.

”Which one do you like best?” Calum points at the shirts pinned onto the wall.  
“Pick any. I’ll pay.”

Wait,  _what?_

“Whoa, Cal, these shirts are like 40 dollars! I couldn’t-“

Calum cuts him off. "I insist. This has been the best day of my life! Let me pay you back.”

Michael shakes his head and sighs, but he can't help but smile.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael walks out of the venue. One hand carrying him backpack, and the other in Calum's hand. He's now wearing a ‘Twenty One Pilots Tour 2016’ shirt, and the cold night air breathes new life into him. He could go for another round, honestly.

They walk for a bit to get away from the noise, but Michael doesn't want to say goodbye yet. He can't. He'd only just met Calum this morning, but  _so much_ has happened, he knows he wouldn't be able to bring himself to drive hours back to his house, alone.

Calum sighs. “You know, I really don’t look forward to an hour long ride back home in a smelly train.”  
_Wait. Is he suggesting what I think?_

“What a coincidence! I don’t want to drive all the way back home all by myself at this late hour.”  
“Maybe I could be your ride home?” He raises his eyebrows.  _Please say yes please say yea please-_

”Only if you stay the night.”  _Okay. That is so much better than yes._

"Smooth."

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael wakes up in a strange bed, but doesn't question anything as soon as he finds Calum sleeping next to him. He hums contently, but knows he's got to go home sooner or later, and he'd rather not make it awkward for the both of them.

Michael gets out of bed as silently as possible, puts on his clothes and gathers his things.  _Fuck_ , he can't leave Calum alone, though. He still hasn't even got his phone number!

That, however, gives him an idea.

Michael gets the pink fleece blanket from his bag, and looks around for a pen and paper as quickly as he can. He scribbles his number and a short message down, and puts it on top of the blanket at the foot end of the bed.

Michael takes one last look at Calum, and decides to leave Calum asleep as he makes his way out of the house. The boy deserves all the sleep he can get, after yesterday, Michael thinks.

He drives away in his car, trying to navigate his way out of the neighborhood, when his phone rings. He grabs it from the passenger's seat and clicks 'Answer Call'. It's an unknown number.

"Hey." A familiar voice says. "Is this Michael?"

"Calum?" He replies.

”Yeah, it’s me. I happen to have an extra ticket to Pierce The Veil’s show next week. Care to join me in line again?”

And, okay, sue him, but he's  _really_ glad Calum forgot to bring a blanket.

"I'd love to! What time shall I come pick you up?"

~~~~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! This brings an end to my very first fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Talk to me on Tumblr: [@clrummer-boy](http://www.clrummer-boy.tumblr.com)


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